Saturday, 17 January 2015

**Blog Tour** Forgetting by JL Brooks

Stella Brady was the epitome of indulgence. With a history of seducing gorgeous men, wrecking hotel rooms and provoking scandalous rumors, fame rewarded her extravagant behavior. Nothing was off limits when it came to gratifying her desires, except the one thing she craved most of all-anonymity.
In a strange twist of fate, a tragic accident robs Stella of all memories past the age of seventeen and she must reconcile the person she has become with the phantom of who she is supposed to be.
Trapped in a limbo of his own, Navy officer Julian Moreau has taken leave and returned to his childhood home in order to care for his dying mother. Growing restless with a life on hold, nothing could prepare him for the impossible. Stella Brady had returned to Mooresville.
Despite a decade of separation and hopeless circumstances, neither is able to deny the irresistible attraction and connection they share. As each layer of the past unravels, they must decide if falling in love could lead to a lifetime of happiness, or one worth forgetting.

My eyes grew wide and my stomach fluttered. Imagining his lips on mine caused my mouth to water in anticipation. The air between us grew tangible, and I could think of nothing else. I moved my chest closer to his, and felt my breath grow shaky. The moment his hand rested against my cheek, I melted into his palm and closed my eyes. I parted my lips slightly and waited for him to move. The air puffed out of his nostrils and his face moved closer to mine. He wrapped his other arm tightly around my waist and pulled me close. Time felt as though it was dragging along on purpose, just to torture me, until finally his lips brushed mine and offered sweet respite. A deep whine was pulled from my lungs, and I craved more as I tangled myself into him.

“Child, I know what it’s like to feel like a stranger in your own body. To not have any control, or answers as to why things are so. How painful it is to move through the day to day, and continuously give yourself a reason to fight, when all you want to do is just go to sleep and have it all be over and done with. Tell me why am I sitting here voluntarily having my body poisoned to fight this demon, when I know ultimately I am going to lose? Why do any of us here keep fighting?” I looked around and all eyes were upon us. The room had fallen silent, and not one person dared to respond. Raina’s hand reached out for my cheek and was quickly soaked with tears. I didn’t have to ask why. I knew. “For love,”

JL Brooks has delivered a magnificent story of second
chances; in love and in life. A story of love, loss and reconnecting. A story
that shows that bad things can happen, but with it comes a chance to rediscover
who you are and who you want to be.

“We have no way of knowing
what tomorrow will hold, we only have the present to make choices that will
hopefully lead us to what we consider our destiny....You still have eyes, ears,
hands and mouth. Use them to guide you.”

Stella Brady is living life in the fast lane. A well
known rock star, she has everything at her fingertips. Sex, drugs and rock ‘n’
roll. Deciding to take a break from the hustle and bustle Stella makes plans to
spend the day on the slopes with Kai, drummer for another band attending the
festival. A line of coke has her and Kai feeling pumped, but is soon short
lived when the notorious paparazzi start their hounding. Stella and Kai flee,
but then it all goes black...

When she comes to, Stella believes she is a 17 year old
pre-med student living in Ohio. She doesn’t understand what’s happening, or why
her body is suddenly covered in tattoos. Thinking its best, her mother takes her
back to North Carolina to help her heal, and learn to put her life back
together.

It is there where she bumps in to Julian Moreau; Tall,
gorgeous and covered in flour. Although embarrassed and scared she couldn’t
help but feel the excitement the bubbled to the surface when she thought about
him. This ‘stranger’ evoked feelings in her which were unknown to her and it
scared her a little; after all who would be interested in her, especially now with
“ugly scars”.

Once Stella and Julian reconnect with each other you can
see the spark re-igniting between them. And to watch it unfold was truly
beautiful and made my heart flutter for them. They took each day as it came and
enjoyed getting to know each other again.

“I know who you were, but
not who you are now. It’s a blank slate for the both of us, don’t you think?”

. The only question that loomed in the back; what will
happen when Stella gets her memories back?

“Love is patient, love is
kind. It does not envy, it does not boast. It is not proud. It is not rude, it
is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.
Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects,
always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.”

I fell in love with ‘Forgetting’
as soon as I started reading it, and found it very difficult to put down. From
the characters to Ms Brooks many wise words throughout; I loved it all. My
emotions were pulled from my body and scattered all over the floor while
reading. I cried, I laughed and my heart ached for both Stella and Julian. And
although they loved each other enough to let the other go, their love for each
other shone through the darkness and helped guide each other back to where they
belonged; in each other’s arms.

A truly beautiful, life-affirming read which makes you
take a step back and look at your own life. It makes you realise that we should
make the most of the time we do have. Love, live and laugh because you never
know when it could end.

“I could see my body for what it really was—a vessel of skin and
bones with an expiration date.”

This is a top 4 star read, and I very highly recommend
you check out Stella and Julian’s beautiful & heart wrenching story.

JL Brooks is a former columnist turned novelist. What started as a bet changed her entire course in life. With a passion for adventure, she believes everyone has a story to tell. Chances are she will try to convince you to tell yours.